751-760 of 1003 results
The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement
After almost 10 years of negotiations between the nations on 17 November 2014 Prime Minister Abbott and President Xi announced the conclusion of negotiations on the China Australia Free Trade Agreement ChAFTA Once implemented the ChAFTA is expected to significantly reduce import barriers for ...
Changes to the rules governing foreign investment in Australian agriculture
The Australian Government has announced that from 1 March 2015 acquisitions of agricultural land worth more than A15 million and any additional acquisitions over and above that amount will require government approval It will also establish a foreign ownership register of agricultural land ...
Finality: an important objective of class actions
The recent Great Southern class action settlement included a term by which group members acknowledged and admitted that loans taken out with independent financiers to finance investments in Great Southern managed investment schemes were valid and enforceable Two separate Victorian Supreme Court ...
Significant 'blow' for penalties claims
Today the Full Federal Court clarified the law of penalties as it applies to fees The key development is that in considering whether the amount of a fee is extravagant and exorbitant compared to the potential costs incurred in dealing with a failure to perform an obligation the court held that ...
Trowbridge - a bridge too far?
In October 2014 ASIC released its report into retail life insurance advice practices The findings were pretty grim - with poor advice being more common than good or even adequate advice ASIC said that advisers were motivated by the promise of commissions not the interests of their clients Following ...
How to avoid anti-money laundering compliance headaches - financial product issues
Issues of securities interests in managed investment schemes and other types of financial products typically involve a number of designated services under Australias anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing AMLCTF regime However in the midst of preparing governing documents disclosure ...
ASIC - A crackdown on corporate culture
Corporate culture and its role in shaping conduct within the financial services sector is now clearly at the forefront of ASICs enforcement agenda This focus was apparent in ASICs 2014-2015 strategic outlook released in October 2014 which identified corporate culture as a key risk driver and poor ...
What does the Government's response to the FSI mean for banks?
The short answer is it depends on which kind of bank you are The Financial System Inquirys final report and the Governments response mean a lot for ANZ CBA NAB and Westpac particularly given their significant residential mortgage portfolios They also mean a lot for Macquarie As for the rest of the ...
High Court decision on retention obligations provides some clarity to liquidators
The High Court has ruled that a liquidator has no obligation to retain monies on account of tax until a notice of assessment has been issued The decision will provide much needed clarity for liquidators and other statutorily deemed trustees and agents Partners Charles Armitage and Christopher ...
New measures on resilience, collateral protection and client money
The Government yesterday released for consultation draft legislation containing resilience and collateral protection measures Think payment systems netting and derivatives But also think superannuation trustees and life companies investing in centrally-cleared OTC derivatives - and restrictions on ...